June Jobless Rate Dips

WETHERSFIELD — Job increases boosted by summer seasonal hiring and a June unemployment rate that dipped to 2008 levels are encouraging developments for the state’s labor experts. “Connecticut’s unemployment rate continues to decline for all the right reasons, such as broad industry job growth coupled with declining unemployment, and an expanding labor force,” according to Andy Condon, director of the state Department of Labor’s Office of Research.

The June unemployment rate was 6.7 percent, down 0.2 from May. More significantly, the June unemployment rate was the lowest for the state since December 2008, according to DOL. Of the ten major industry supersectors, seven added jobs in June. However, only 500 new jobs were in the private sector. The most nonfarm job gains were in the Government supersector, with a net of 1,200 new positions. All of the these job gains were in state government, as the number of positions in both the federal and local government sectors declined slightly (-100 for each). Other supersectors with significant job gains included Professional & Business Services (plus 700); Transportation & Public Utilities (600); and Educational & Health Services (400). The three supersectors posting job losses were Leisure & Hospitality (minus 1,000); Other Services (-600); and Financial Activities (-200).

The overall net gain of 1,700 jobs in June was “positive news,” according to Peter Gioia, Connecticut Business & Industry Association economist. But he added a caveat. “All this good news, though,” he stated, “is tempered by the fact that we still have concerns that we only have recovered 62 percent of the jobs lost during the recession, whereas the nation overall has added back over 100 percent of the jobs lost.”